


Birthday Buddies

by lalunaunita



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Buddies, Captain America 100th Birthday, Captain America Birthday, Fourth of July, Gen, July 4 2018, Steve Rogers 100th Birthday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-04
Updated: 2018-07-04
Packaged: 2019-05-24 12:05:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14954364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lalunaunita/pseuds/lalunaunita
Summary: Henry finds out that Captain America was also born on July 4th! His letter to Cap elicits a surprising response on his sixth birthday.





	Birthday Buddies

Anya smiled when Henry came running up to her vehicle in the car line outside of kindergarten. His teacher opened the door and ushered him inside.

“Mom, guess what, guess what?!” he yelled, dropping his backpack in the foot well and buckling himself into his booster seat.

“What’s up, Baby?” Anya replied, checking over her shoulder to be sure he was secure before pulling away from the curb.

“Captain. America. Has. The. _Samebirthdayasme!!!”_ Henry shouted the last at the top of his lungs, making Anya wince.

“Wow, that’s awesome, Henry! Is it really July 4th?” Anya caught sight of Henry nodding fervently in the rearview mirror.

“We were talking about the Fourth of July in school today and I said it was my birthday, and then Miss Goudy said it was his too and we all went crazy.” Henry stopped to slurp some water from his water bottle before he continued. “I wanna write him a birthday letter. So he knows it’s my birthday, too.”

Anya’s son was an enthusiastic encyclopedia of all things Captain America. She’d tried to temper his obsession for the first six months or so, but Henry was just as fanatical now as he had been at age four when her husband Greg came home with a selfie of him and Cap on his phone. Apparently, Captain America still did the odd USO tour when he wasn’t saving the world. Anya turned into the parking garage under their apartment building, braking as the car tilted and gliding smoothly into her reserved spot.

“I like it. You gonna write it today?”

“Yeah. Will you help me, Mom?”

“Of course, sweetie. I think it’s a good idea to send it early - I bet Captain America gets a lot of fan mail, so it might take him some time to get to your letter.”

The pair went up to their apartment and Anya got Henry settled with a snack, paper, and crayons. He made sure to include a big drawing of Cap’s shield, along with a self-portrait, and a compelling scene of Captain America in action, punching away some bad guys. Anya took dictation and filled out the text portion of the letter, then Henry signed it in unsteady five-year-old scrawl.

“So where do we mail it?” Henry asked.

Anya folded the construction paper into thirds and slid it into an envelope. She let Henry lick the flap. “I think... maybe the New Avengers Facility is our best bet. I get the impression that Captain America moves around a lot.”

“Can’t we just send it to his apartment?”

Anya laughed. “I don’t know the address, Honey. Don’t you think the bad guys would show up all the time if just anyone could mail him a letter where he lives?”

Henry looked defeated. “Yeah, I guess so. But how will we know he got it?”

Anya ruffled Henry’s hair. “He’ll get it. Don’t worry.”

She sent Henry off to play with Legos while she googled the New Avengers Facility mailing address. She jotted it down carefully on the envelope and added their return address. She thanked her lucky stars that Henry was still too young to draw the parallel, but the irony of her Cap-obsessed offspring living in an apartment at 1404 Alameda Avenue wasn’t lost on her. The first time she and Greg had taken Henry to the Captain America exhibit, she’d discovered they lived at his old address in Brooklyn. Cap’s childhood home had long since been torn down, but a newer apartment building had gone up in its place. Anya and Greg had moved in over ten years ago, mere months before the legendary hero was re-discovered under ice.

The real estate, already hot, had shot up in value overnight after the formation of the Avengers. Anya still caught tourists taking photos of her building - so pointless, seeing as all it had in common with Captain America was a street number. Anya shook her head as she walked downstairs to the mail drop and put Henry’s letter in. At least her son had the excuse of actually being a kid. Everyone had to grow up sometime, though. Sending a letter to Captain America felt like sending a letter to Santa Claus. She put a reminder in her phone to write a reply from “Cap” at the end of June and mail it, so Henry would have something to open on his birthday.

\------

July 4, 2018 dawned hot and muggy. Anya took Henry to Brower Park and the children’s museum as early as they could get moving to avoid the afternoon heat. Henry ran all over the playground. Anya felt grateful that he was still young enough to want to check in with her every five minutes. Once some of his youthful energy was depleted, they headed over to the Brooklyn Children’s Museum and cooled off in the air conditioned interior.

“Is there anything special you want for lunch, kiddo?” Anya asked as noon approached.

One hot dog and one ice cream cone later, she had a sleepy six-year-old on her hands. The pair walked back to the apartment, Anya carrying Henry the last two blocks. She smiled contentedly at the sound of his tiny snore in her ear. Shifting him with the ease of long practice, Anya got out her keys and let herself into the building. Upstairs, she laid Henry on the couch and put on the kettle for some much-deserved tea.

Anya was taking her first sip when there was a quiet knock at the door. Sighing, she got up to answer. No one should be able to get into the building without buzzing up, but sometimes solicitors snuck in on the heels of a resident. She unlocked the deadbolts but left the chain attached and peered suspiciously into the hall.

Anya gasped at the sight of two bright blue eyes twinkling down at her from under a ball cap.

“Does Henry Sawyer live here?” the man asked, one hand tucked into the pocket of his jeans.

“Are you - you _are_ , right? Steve Rogers?”

There was no way it could be anybody else. The square jaw and the nose were distinctive, even under his hat. Anya made a point of shutting her mouth. No need to stare slack-jawed like some kind of idiot.

“Yes, ma’am. Are you Henry’s mom?” His voice was surprisingly melodious in person.

“Hang on,” Anya answered and shut the door in his face. She unlatched the chain and pulled it open again, fast, like the 6’2” wall of muscle might vanish if she hesitated. He was still standing there. “Jeez. Um, okay, come on in.”

Anya stepped aside and let _the_ Steve Rogers, _the_ Captain America into her little apartment. He wasn’t actually the biggest person she’d ever seen, but he still seemed to fill up the entire entryway. He took off his ball cap, running a hand through his hair to smooth it.

“Thanks, ma’am. So, yes, I’m Steve Rogers. Call me Steve.” He held out a hand politely. Anya took it and gave it a quick shake.

“Anya Sawyer. Henry’s taking a nap, actually. Would you um, like some tea? Or I guess I can wake him…”

“Tea sounds great. Iced?”

“You got it.” Anya led the way to her bright kitchenette, where the afternoon sun slanted through the windows. Steve took a seat and glanced around. He tapped the edge of a drawing on the table, pulling it over with one finger for a closer look.

“I got Henry’s letter. So we’re birthday buddies, huh?”

“Yeah. He just about lost his mind when he found out. Oh, my gosh. Happy birthday. Should have said that right off.” Steve smiled his thanks as Anya poured tea from the cooled pot over a cup of ice. She brought it to the table and sat down. She fidgeted with her mug as Steve sipped his tea, unsure what to say.

“So… uh, I heard on the news: this is your _hundredth_ birthday? Don’t you have like, places to be today? I’m sorry, that sounded rude. I just meant, I don’t understand why you came by on your really big, really important day.” Anya’s face got redder and redder the more she talked, so she decided to stop digging the hole and shut up.

Steve’s patient smile split into a grin. “Henry invited me. Besides, I couldn’t pass up the chance to check out my old digs. I’ve walked by before, but never been in the building.”

“Oh, the return address caught your eye, huh? It’s not exactly your building anymore, sorry to say.”

Steve shrugged. “It ain’t a big deal. I like this one better anyhow, now that I’ve seen the inside of it.”

“Mo-oom?” a sleepy face with tousled hair appeared over the back of the couch. Henry blinked a few times, bleary from his nap. “Who’s here?”

Anya relished the moment. “Captain America, sweetie,” she said in as nonchalant a tone as she could muster.

“Oh,” Henry answered, falling back asleep just a bit with his chin propped up on a pillow. Then his eyes popped open and he sprang up onto the couch cushions, nearly falling off in his haste.

He motored around the couch and entered the kitchenette at full speed, gaping at the blond man sitting in the guest chair at the dinner table. “It’s really you? You’re here for my birthday! Awesome!”

Steve chuckled. “Hey, Champ. Heard you turn six today. Here, this is for you.”

He handed Henry a gift bag that Anya hadn’t even noticed. Henry immediately yanked out several items covered in a layer of tissue paper, unearthing a toy shield, a child-sized Cap helmet, and red gloves.

“Yeeeaahh!” Henry hollered, holding the prizes overhead. Anya laughed, mirth overtaking her at the sight of her sweet son and his hero.

“I’m gonna wear these when we facetime with Dad later. Can I put them on now?”

“Of course, babe.”

The smile never left Henry’s face as Steve picked up the helmet and settled it comfortably on his head. He showed Henry how to put on the shield and gave him some tips for blocking bad guy punches with it. It was like watching a lion play with a kitten, Anya thought.

Henry grinned and grinned, but the smile suddenly fell from his face. “Cap, I didn’t get you anything for your birthday,” he said, eyes tragic.

“That’s okay, kiddo. When you get to be 100, you don’t exactly need presents anymore.”

Henry thought for a moment, and his eyes lit up. “We can have my cake! And do the Birthday song!”

Anya opened her mouth to protest, but Steve was already shaking his head. “You should save the cake for your dad later; he wouldn’t want to miss the candles. We can sing the song, though.”

“He means a different birthday song,” Anya replied. She scrolled through the music app on her phone, then got up and docked it in a pair of speakers in the living room. The opening guitar chords of the Birthday song blared through the small space. Henry got his hard-core listening face on and nodded violently.

“ _Ya says it’s ya birthday! It’s my birthday too, yeah!”_

“Who is this?” Steve shouted as Henry bopped past him and turned in a circle.

“The Beatles!” Anya replied. Henry grabbed her hand and pulled her into the center of the room, jumping to the beat.

“Nice. I like it!” Steve puffed out his lower lip and pulled a little notebook and a pen from his back pocket, scribbling something inside. Henry mimicked punching bad guys in time to the music.

“Hellooo...anybody home?”

Anya’s ears perked as a voice called over the music. She was out of the living room like a shot, pushing past the couch and running to the entryway. “Greg? Oh my god, _Greg!!_ What are you doing here? I thought we wouldn’t see you for another four months!”

Tears filled Anya’s eyes. She jumped into Greg’s arms and wrapped her legs around his waist, giving him only a split second to drop his bag. She was a sobbing mess in moments, talking unintelligibly in Greg’s ear as he held her tight and kissed her cheek.

Henry came barrelling into Greg’s legs, nearly knocking the man down as he shouted “Dad! Dad! Dad!” over and over.

When Greg’s fingers suddenly gripped her t-shirt, Anya looked quizzically into his face, only to find that he was staring, shocked, over her shoulder. She remembered their guest and awkwardly let go of her husband, putting her feet on the ground. She turned to see all 6’2” of Steve Rogers standing there, with a bashful smile, trying not to intrude on their moment.

“Holy shitballs,” said Greg. Anya winced at the word choice, but let it go.

Steve stepped forward and put out his hand. “Hey. Steve Rogers. How ya doing?” Greg shook it numbly, then allowed Henry to pull him into the living room.

“Good to meet you, Captain Rogers,” he replied as he let Henry push him onto the couch.

“Good to meet you too, Greg. It’s just Steve now. Sorry to drink tea and run, but I actually do have some friends I’m meeting up with in a bit. So, um, this Henry’s real present,” he said, winking at Anya. “Turns out you can make some pretty good connections through the USO. I asked Greg’s CO for a birthday favor. You only turn 100 once, after all.”

**Author's Note:**

> I grabbed a few prompts from @Velvetsky's list on tumblr. Here are the ones I used:  
> Birthday Prompts: 6 - Surprise, 7 - Gift  
> Summer Prompts: 8 - Ice Cream  
> Quintessential New York Prompts: 7 - Hot Dogs  
> Steve’s List Prompts: 13 - The Beatles


End file.
